Inflation in Zimbabwe is currently soaring at 231 million percent!  231,000,000%!!!  Of course, by the time I finish this post, it'll be even higher.  To put it another way, if the inflation rate were to stay stable for an entire year (which it most certainly won't), something that costs one zimbabwe dollar today will cost almost a quarter of a billion dollars a year from now.  In reality it'll cost much, much more since the inflation rate is increasing on a minute-by-minute basis.  Now that's currency devaluation on a grand scale!

The thing that worries me is that so many people in America (and other western countries) dismiss these devastating events by saying "It can't happen here", or "If it was really a problem, we'd hear about it on the news", or even "Why should I be concerned with something happening in a small African nation?"  I'll be blunt here in order to get a point across - It CAN happen here - This is a REAL problem - And you SHOULD be concerned, even if you can't pinpoint Zimbabwe on a map.  The truth is this is the INEVITABLE result of ALL fiat currencies, INCLUDING the U.S. Dollar.  All paper money that's backed by nothing will eventually be inflated to the point it spirals out of control, leading to the destruction of the currency as it returns to its true value - nothing.  This is not a guess, not a prediction, and not "crazy talk" no matter how far out in left field it may seem.  Inflation and eventual hyperinflation that destroys a nation's wealth and purchasing power is an inherent flaw in all fiat (backed by nothing) currencies.  It WILL happen to ALL fiat money, the inevitable can only be postponed and covered up with crafty lies, but it CAN'T be avoided forever.

Here's a pictoral progression of the hyperinflation currently taking place in zimbabwe. Pictures speak louder than words and show just how quickly monetary debasement (excessive creation of new money) can throw an entire country into financial turmoil.

One interesting thing to note is that the bills in the pictures linked above contain expiration dates.  Money that expires, and soon!  That's one heck of an alarming indicator on just how quickly Mugabe's money debasement has destroyed people's wealth.  The expiration date is somewhat refreshing though - in an odd and sad way.  After all, it's an outright admission that just because a fiat dollar has value today, doesn't mean it'll have the same value in the future.  Maybe this disclaimer should be included on all currencies with no inherent value (especially the U.S. Dollar).

For those of you who still subscribe to the mindset that this "can't happen here", I seriously urge you to deeply question your reasons for this thought process.  First, it's imperative that you understand the money you use - after all, it affects every aspect of your life.  If you haven't taken the time already, stop everything you're doing and watch this video about the immoral scam of fiat currencies, including the U.S. Dollar.  It's a real eye opener and explains in-depth the monetary system that controls our lives.  It's well worth an hour of your time to understand what's really going on and the video will change the way you view money forever.

It may also be interesting to note that it wasn't too many years ago that one Zimbabwe Dollar was equal to one U.S. Dollar.  Now, one U.S. Dollar will get you tens of millions of Zimbabwe Dollars.  Zimbabwe followed a prescribed path towards hyperinflation and currency destruction and the United States (along with many other countries) are currently following the same path.  So again, if you think this "can't happen here", at least get informed as much as you possibly can about the underlying issues that cause this devastation before risking the livelihood of yourself and family members on pre-conceived notions that have been force-fed from all directions by those perpetuating these crimes or blindly subscribing to these immoral falsehoods.

One more thing to note - The U.S. Federal Reserve (and all modern central banks) are private, FOR-PROFIT, companies. Their goal is to make a profit, NOT do what's best for the people they scam.  If you give a private company unrestricted control of a nation's currency, with full knowledge that they make a profit by debasing the currency they control - human nature indicates they'll do just that.  Don't believe for a second that those who control the money supply will provide solutions for the problems they themselves created - especially when it's not in their best interest.  Sure, you'll get the horse and pony show, but it's just that - a show.  A show to obfuscate the truth and deceive the public from what's really going on.

So get informed, protect yourself and your family, and remember that things aren't always as they seem.  And yes, it can happen here.

With all the silver posts lately, some people have been asking me where the cheapest place to buy physical silver is at.  Without a doubt, the cheapest silver bullion (and coins) I have found are at www.bulliondirect.com.  I don't make anything for plugging this site, and there are no affiliate links, I'm simply regurgitating my own experiences in the hope it'll benefit others.

I've noticed several searches hitting this site wondering if BullionDirect is a scam.  While this is a valid question and one you should certainly investigate before making any investment (no matter how small), I can personally vouch for BullionDirect - at least for the limited experience I've had with them.

I've found them to be helpful, responsive, and exactly what they claim to be.  An order placed by myself on their "nucleo" market (an open market that matches precious metal buyers and sellers) was filled and delivered to my online account quickly and efficiently.  I later took physical delivery on some of this purchase and was quite pleased with the order, packaging, and shipping times.  I got exactly what I paid for and have talked to others (including family members) who've experienced similar results.  A quick note here - if you take physical delivery of precious metals from this site, you'll have to pay a "handling" fee of about $6 and another $10 for shipping and handling (insured).  I'm rounding up by a nickel on each fee but take these numbers into account since it obviously wouldn't be financially beneficial to take delivery on a small order.  On the other hand, you can take delivery to your online account for nothing, there are no storage costs, and you can sell your account holdings at any time.

So from these experiences, I would have to say that no, BullionDirect is not a scam - it is a very convenient and economical way to invest in physical precious metals.  At the same time I would issue a warning about ordering precious metals directly from their catalog.  I haven't tried this method but have seen that their catalog prices are usually slightly higher than their "nucleo" market and most of their catalog products are delayed (for physical delivery) for several weeks or more.

Just thought I would share my experiences with this site and confirm it is definitely the cheapest place to currently buy physical silver (and gold... and platinum).  I would love to hear from others who have had positive or negative experiences with this company.

Good Investing!

I recently ran into yet another online scam and so I decided it is time to start posting ways people are trying to scam you. This will be an attempt to educate more people about the rampant scams, phishing attempts, and general filthy techniques these scumbags use to steal honest peoples' money.

It will take me some time to cover the many rotten ways these technologically savvy criminals use, so please bear with me. I will try and post new articles as I can, each covering different methods of attack and ways you can protect yourself.

The first scam I will cover is one I recently ran into, although I have seen it in the past in various forms. In all cases, it has involved sending money through Western Union, which seems to be a preferred method for these scammers to collect their ill-gotten cash.

It starts out with an innocent victim trying to sell something – in this case I was selling a domain name on ebay. I must admit that the domain was a bit overpriced, so I was surprised when an email offering the full purchase price came almost instantly. The first red flag was that the potential buyer had zero feedback on ebay and had just barely created his account that same day. The second red flag was in the offer itself. The buyer wanted to pay extra for me to end the auction outside of ebay and was curious about alternate forms of payment. I also found it odd that he kept referring to the domain name as “the item”.
Even with these red flags, it was possible the buyer was just new and was honestly interested in the domain. Wanting to give him a chance (and perhaps a bit numb to a potential scam due to his generous offer), I replied to his email stating my accepted methods of payment and that the transaction should take place through ebay. His response is what sent the Scam Alarm through the roof. Still referring to the domain name as “the item”, he asked if it was in “good condition”, and if so, gave a list of demands for completing the sale. Now, a domain name is a virtual item, so anyone buying one ought to know that this type of item's “condition” is irrelevant. This matches the pattern of a blanket scam, where the scammer will send the same email or message to many people at once. Often times the content of the message does not exactly fit the item being sold - and generic phrases may be used. This is why I initially found it odd that the buyer used the term “the item”.
I became convinced it was a scam when reading through the buyers requirements, I found he would like to pay even more to use his “preferred” shipping company. Am I supposed to ship a domain name now? Another requirement is that he would pay more still and I would refund the difference by sending him cash through Western Union. Ok, that's a huge red flag! Never, I repeat, Never agree to receive extra money and refund the difference by any method – especially Western Union.

The common thread that links this scam to others like it is the list of requirements the buyer sends to complete the transaction. They wish to overpay (usually with a personal check or money order) and they want you to send them the difference. If faced with this scam, do not be persuaded by how much is offered – if you ever receive payment, it will bounce. Another sign is that more often than not, they will want the extra money sent back via Western Union. This is simply because it's easy for scammers to receive the cash and difficult for you to fight it after the fact.

I can't possibly cover all the different ways this scam is played out but hopefully this has helped highlight some of the things to look out for when selling items online. These guys are crafty and will stop at nothing to get at your hard earned cash. If you aren't sure whether or not a potential buyer might be trying to scam you, remember that you can always politely decline to sell.